Ron Paul revolution continues in Congress

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) will only serve the US Congress for a few more weeks, but victories for the congressman’s allies this Election Day suggest the libertarian lawmaker’s revolution might not end just yet.

A White House victory for the former Republican Party candidate was never considered likely by the mainstream media, but Rep. Paul focused his efforts throughout the election season on a bid for the Oval Office that inevitably came to an end this week. Earlier in the year, Rep. Paul said he wouldn’t be pursuing another term on the Hill, essentially meaning the long-time congressman would put his career in Washington behind him once his current role expires. Even with Capitol Hill soon to be in his past, though, the ideals Rep. Paul touted will likely be heard in the House of Representatives next session nonetheless thanks to a slew of wins this week for like-minded politicians.President Barack Obama wasn’t the only incumbent who lucked out this week: 32-year-old Rep. Justin Amash, a freshman lawmaker from Michigan, was re-elected to Congress for a second term following a well-received stint that drew several comparisons to Rep. Paul during the last two years. Rep. Amash was among Paul’s biggest backers on the campaign trail during his ill-fated bid for the White House, and regularly went public with ideas that were voiced by few others in Washington, including opposition to both the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the Federal Reserve. According to the District of Columbia Republican Committee, Rep. Amash is among the top 35 most influential members of the GOP under the age of 35."We are going back to D.C. and it looks like we are going to have a very similar makeup to what we have now," Amash told the Detroit Free Press early Wednesday. "We've got to work together to deal with our most pressing issue: the debt."Speaking earlier this year to a crowd at the University of Florida, Rep. Amash said that his colleague’s actions in Congress were instrumental for the future of advancing personal liberty. “This movement is Ron Paul’s legacy,” he said, adding, “Now it is our duty to grow it into the majority it can be.”Thomas Massie, another disciple of Rep. Paul, took nearly two-thirds of the vote in a face for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday, thanks largely to support from the congressman’s son and fellow Republican, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Additionally, Massie — a scientist with a background at MIT — received backing from the Liberty For All SuperPAC, a political action committee formed with the goal of electing candidates “who understand that limited government is the basis of security, prosperity and peace.” The Federal Election Commission reveals that Massie managed to raise nearly 10 times as much as his opponent this race, Democrat attorney Bill Adkins.Kerry Bentivolio, a retired high school teacher campaigning for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District race, also won on Tuesday. Like Massie and Amash, the Liberty For All SuperPAC offered their support to his campaign as well. Congressman Walter Jones, an incumbent up for re-election in North Carolina's 3rd District, was also victorious this week. As with Rep. Paul, Rep. Jones was adamant about halting the quick-paced erosion of American’s civil liberties and ending foreign wars. Jones has served his state since 1995.Even after losing the GOP nomination to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Rep. Paul resisted endorsing the Republican Party pick, nor did he support Pres. Obama’s bid for re-election. Speaking to CNN earlier on Tuesday, Paul said, "I don't think there's enough difference between the two candidates, and I assume the victor today will be the status quo.”"We're going to continue with basically the same policies that we've had for a long time, so I don't see the election, as the way it's turning out, to be very crucial at all." As far as the Executive Branch is concerned, Rep. Paul may very well be right. Given the success his allies in Congress are seeing though, at least the legislative branch might make some strides for liberty during the next few years.